You're Not Alone
by Taeng
Summary: GoGo Sentai Boukenger. Set during episode 48. Natsuki tries to persuade Masumi to come back to them.


_**A/N: **_I took a little break from 'Dark Passion Play' to write this. It's a Boukenger one, set during episode 48. This was my first Sentai (having found it through Opertaion Overdrive).

Anyway, I've had this (sort of) idea in my head for a while now and I finally got round to writing it, though sadly, it's not come out as good as I'd have liked.

This is a mixture of friendship and angst with hints of romance and the dialogue is taken from the episode as translated by Tv Nihon, but this is more about their thoughts.

Disclaimer: GoGo Sentai Boukenger belongs to Toei and the translation is thanks to Tv Nihon.

_**You're Not Alone**_

Natsuki stood there, her eyes watching him, as the rain continued to fall. She didn't care how wet she got. After everything that had happened, she didn't care. All she knew was that she needed him back, for him to hold her, for him to tell her that everything was going to be alright.

But he didn't.

Instead he was stood a couple of feet away from her; his back turned, staring out at the city skyline. They hadn't said a word since he'd helped her up and the silence was killing her.

He couldn't bring himself to look at her. The memories connected with her were too much for him to bear, but he so desperately wanted to talk to her, to hear her voice. _Why can't I say anything now? Not a single word._

_Why won't he say anything?_ She determinedly refused to look at him.

"What happened?" he eventually asked, still not turning around. "The city's full of Kaasu."

"It's Masumi's fault!" she snapped, not looking up. _You left! You left us! You left Natsuki!_

_What? _He turned around sharply at the harshness of her tone. He had never heard her talk like that before and he was surprised and hurt at her words. He watched as Natsuki, sensing that he was watching her, leapt up and screamed at him.

"Ryuoun... Gaja... Pandora's Box! Desperado! Can't transform!" She stomped towards him, wildly, her arms thrown about in frustration at each word she spoke. He didn't move as he listened. She stopped and shook her head. "Chief! Chief..." Her voice began to break as she remembered her Chief.

"What happened to Akashi?" he asked, concerned, knowing that she wouldn't be this upset unless something bad had happened.

Slowly, she looked up at him, her eyes brimmed with tears. _Is that all you care about? Don't you care about Natsuki? About us? _"He fought Ryuoun alone," she began, looking away from him once more before slowly falling to her knees as her tears mixed with the descending rain. "And then..." She couldn't finish as her tears took hold.

He looked away from her then, knowing what she was going to say, but he also didn't want to see her cry. "I see," he said. "The 'Immortal Fang' has finally come to an end." He walked away from her, back towards the edge of the rooftop.

At his words, Natsuki's head had shot up and she looked at him, angry. _Was that all he cared about?_ She wondered, brushing her tears away. _Was beating Chief so important? More important than anything else? More important than Natsuki?_ Once more she wanted him to hold her again and make all of the pain go away, but instead she felt an unknown anger and bitterness creep into her. "Looks like you have to finally give it up," she said to him bitterly, "surpassing Chief."

Once again he refused to turn and face her. He didn't want her to see how much her were words affecting him. He sighed. _I had never wanted to leave, Natsuki, but I had to. I don't see myself as a Boukenger anymore, not after I had nearly helped kill all of you. They aren't safe while I'm around. Natsuki isn't safe. _He wanted to look back at her, to give her the comfort that she needed, but he didn't._ I don't want you to get hurt again. After everything we had been through together, I can't, won't, do that to you._

They stood there for some time, sinking in the silence as the rain fell around them. Neither of them saying a word though they both wanted to.

In the end, Natsuki couldn't take it anymore and as the rain stopped, she quietly asked him why he had left. She wanted to know why, what had happened to make him walk away from them, from her. _Why did you leave? Why did you leave Nastuki alone? _He still refused to turn and face as he spoke, explaining that because of his darkness he was scared of hurting them again, so he had left.

"That time, I found my personal treasure," he said, once more walking away from her. "That's what I thought. That was the power of darkness." He stopped walking and stared at the slowly lightening horizon. "With that power, I even hurt my friends."

"But now you've recovered your light," she interjected. She hated listening to him blame himself for everything that had happened. _Why do you blame yourself? Yaiba played with your mind, why can't you see that? It wasn't your fault. We never blamed you. Natsuki never blamed you. We've always been there for you, but, why do you have to do everything alone? You're not alone, Masumi. You've got us. You'e got Natsuki._

"Do you understand?" he suddenly asked, turning to face her. She stared at him. He sighed and sat on an electrical box, looking back at the city skyline. "There is darkness in me. That truth can't be erased. There's no way I could have surpassed Akashi. Someone whose treasure is the power of darkness is no adventurer!" _It's something I have to deal with on my own._

"No! Isn't this your treasure, Masumi?" she cried, running forward towards him, unable to listen to him anymore. She held his accellular out. He looked at it for a moment before letting out a harsh laugh and turned away.

"Right now we can't transform. We can't even use it as a phone." His head shot back around to face her. "It's just a piece of junk!" he snapped. "Why would something like that be my treasure?" He faced away from her again and Natsuki felt her heart sink at his words.

Instead of getting angry or cry about it, Natsuki took a deliberate step forward and wrapped her arms around him. She felt him jump at her touch.

_Let me just hold you, the way Natsuki wants you to hold Natsuki. Natsuki needs you to know that Natsuki's here. Natsuki has always been here for you. You've never been alone. Why can't you see that? Natsuki doesn't care about your darkness, because Natsuki knows that there's light in you too. You are who you are. You're Masumi. Natsuki's Masumi._

Even though he'd be startled by her holding him, he sank into her grip, grateful for it. _You've always been there for me, Natsuki. Always. You don't know how much you mean to me. Please, don't let go, Natsuki. I need you. I need you to hold me tight and not let me go. But no matter what you say, you'll never get me to forgive myself for everything I did to you and to the others. _

"You said 'Natsuki is Natsuki', right?" she said softly, as the wind blew around them, through their hair. "'The past and future don't matter'. That's when I understood. Natsuki's treasure is the memories created with Masumi and everyone else. The memories created as Mamiya Natsuki." He suddenly pushed her away from him, making her stumble, walking away from her. She watched him for a moment. _Why won't he listen to what Natsuki's saying? Why won't he understand?_ "Masumi is Masumi! Darkness and light don't matter! All the Boukenger adventures were done by the real Masumi! This is the symbol of those adventures! It's Inou Masumi's treasure." She placed the accellularon the box before casting a final disappointed look before leaving him alone on the rooftop. _Why can't you understand?_ she thought as she walked away, tears once more beginning to fall.

He waited until he could no longer hear her footsteps before he slowly turned and approached his accellular. He picked it up, remembering the feel of it and the memories, feelings and adventures connected to it.

Memories flashed through his mind. When he had first been given it, the first time he became BoukenBlack; fighting against Gaja, Ryuuwon, Dark Shadow and the Questers; their adventures to gather various Precious'. Akashi, Sakura, Souta, Eiji, Natsuki. They had always been together, there for each other, there for him. His mind then flashed to all of his fights with Yaiba. He knew now that he had been manipulated into embracing the Darkness inside of him, the part of him that he had kept hidden, but he also now realised that he was surrounded by light and it was something that made him stronger. Akashi, Sakura, Souta, Eiji and Natsuki, especially Natsuki, they were his light. Being a Boukenger was who he was. Despite his earlier reasons for joining them, he knew that this was where he belonged. _I'm a Boukenger. I'm BoukenBlack._

"My treasure? The symbol of the Boukengers," he turned, facing the rising sun, "the symbol of an adventurer?"

_You were right, Natsuki. You never doubted me. You never let me go. You've always been there for me. All of you have. This is who I am. _A small smile formed before he turned and ran from the rooftop. _I'm coming back to where I belong. I know now, I'm not alone._

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See, not very good, but I wanted to write it.

As well as being my first Sentai, Masumi/Natsuki was my first favourite pairing. I think they're seriously cute, along with Chiaki/Kotoha.

_**Song:**_ You're Not Alone

_**Artist:**_ Saosin

_Please Read & Review _^_^


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